Garlic Sriracha Salmon

When people find out that you are a “dietitian and a food blogger”, they assume that you always eat well-balanced, fancy meals that are beautifully plated every night. I can’t speak for everyone but that’s not nearly how things are with me most nights. With work and school, I consider a win if I have something to reheat or quickly put together and eat off my chipped plate with mismatched silverware. That’s the reality of a life of full-time dietitian/graduate student/seasonal foodblogger. So when I saw the “Recipe Redux” Theme for January “Start Smoking in the New Year” – The New Year is heating up with smoke and spiciness, I knew Garlic Sriracha Salmon had to be shared here because it’s stupidly simple, spicy good, and beneficial for your health.

Salmon is considered one of the top ‘health’ foods because it is an excellent source of high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals (including potassium, selenium and vitamin B12) but it is their content of omega-3 fatty acids that receives the most attention. Omega-3 fatty acids  are an essential fatty acid because the body cannot synthesize it itself and must be obtained from a diet of oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring and fresh tuna – at least three times a week.

When shopping for salmon, you’re faced with two choices: farm raised and wild caught. If possible, I highly recommend everyone to get the wild caught variety although it comes with a slightly higher price tag but much higher nutritional value. Wild caught salmon has less calories, more minerals (iron, calcium, zinc, potassium) and fewer contaminants/pollutants etc when compared to farm raised salmon. Read this and this for more.

 To get back to the Recipe Redux theme of smoky/spicy, I went with my staple ‘Sriracha’, I love it so much that I tried making it at home before. Sriracha is mixed in with minced garlic and baked for 10-12 minutes using my all time favorite technique ‘salmon en papilote’, a French term for cooking salmon inside a parchment paper. If Sriracha is too hot for you, you can use your favorite seasoning with little butter/olive oil as well.
I paired garlic sriracha salmon with roasted carrots + herbed farro but you can do quinoa, couscous, rice, or whatever grain you fancy. One of the things I hope to share more on this blog is to show everyone how healthy isn’t complicated, expensive, time consuming and/or bland. Garlic  Sriracha Salmon with Roasted Carrots and Herbed Farro is a prime example of that along with my Nourish Bowl and Tofu Tikka Masala. When planning a meal, I almost always start with a protein (eggs, chicken, fish, beans), then roast whatever veggies I have on hand and cook a grain that pairs with the protein.

Garlic Sriracha Salmon is regular on my dinner rotation and I hope it will find a spot on yours too. I use both fresh and frozen wild salmon but if you are new to buying salmon, I suggest you read this first. 

Don’t forget to check out what other reduxer’s are smoking this month – An InLinkz Link-up